Redesmere to Martonheath Wood

Introduction

After a hectic week including Jordan and Adele’s amazing woodland wedding in North Yorkshire, an easy lowland stroll in Cheshire farming country seemed to fit the bill today.

Redesmere is a picturesque mini tourist spot just off the A34 between Alderley Edge and Congleton, about 20 minutes drive from Cheadle Hulme.

This 6.3 mile walk took 2 hours 45 minutes, plus a 15 minute lunch stop.

The weather began cloudy, and finished in brilliant sunshine. Beautiful!

There is a lot of track walking, and the occasional cattle and sheep were fenced off in fieldsThere was plenty of scope for dogs to run off the lead.

There is plenty of car parking at Redesmere. For satnav, use SK11 9JR which is Siddington Village Hall. Turn left just past the village hall to arrive at the water’s edge car park.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 268.

Redesmere and Siddington

Redesmere is a delightful lake, home to hundreds of water birds. Here’s one.

Humans bring food, so why not bring the family along and just hang around the car park till there’s a meal!

I started by by walking back towards the A34. At the end of the car park I diverted behind the hedge and up through the picnic area. Last time I was here was for my Ruby Wedding Anniversary and Cal’s 60th birthday meal during an interlude between lockdowns in2020!

A short stretch on the A34, and an even shorter one on the B5392, and I’m in the driveway of Siddington Church, and an interesting structure it is.

The field behind the church has knee length grass, and the path is little used. My feet were soon completely sodden as there had been quite a lot of overnight rain.

I also found this unusual fungus. I’ve not seen one of these before – about 11cm high. I wondered if it was alien craft!

Several drier fields followed, and then a concrete track took me past Northwood Farm, and some intensive cattle farming – I reckon there must have been 300 cows in this fenced off area. This is about a third of them!

Martonheath and Tidnock Woods

After a short walk on a minor road, a track leads on to Martonheath Woods, part of the Capesthorne Estate.

This wood is in a very sad state, having been overrun by rhododendron. There is no light reaching the ground, so no new saplings or ground cover plants can grow. The older birch trees are dying. At this time of year, the rhododendrons look spectacular, but this is not how an English wood should look.

Between the two woods, the farmland is freshly planted, and afford distant views of Shutlingsloe and Sutton mast.

Approaching Tidnock Wood, I witnessed a stand-off between a mistle thrush and a blackbird, both eying up a tasty morsel at the field edge.

Tidnock Wood has not (yet) been affected by the rampant rhododendrons, and has a dappled understorey where new native plants can thrive.

Back on Marton Lane, I loved this pristine rebuilt wall at Crabmoss.

Walkersheath to Redesmere

This last section brought an abundance of the plant of the day. The road and track verges were adorned with cow parsley, and the insects were loving it.

At Walkersheath the map shows the farmyard having several small ponds. I expected a rural idyll. Mistake. It was a liquid fertiliser manufacturing operation!

Henshaw Hall Farm, however, was a picture!

The sudden improvement in the weather helped too.

Several cottages either side of the crossing of the B5392 were vying for most attractive garden

I liked the azalea and rhododendron, and putting green condition lawn.

And also, the spectacular laburnum tree.

It was a delight to see around ten house martins swarming around the house at the road crossing.

After crossing another 3 fields I emerged onto Fanshawe Lane and crossed to the narrow lane, where Fanshawe Brook runs alongside he road.

It’s lovely here with several pretty cottages, and a couple of thatched roofs.

At the end of the lane, I took the path and turned left along the field edge with a bluebell wood between me and the mere.

Again, I contrasted this view with the dark and dead woodland floor in Martonheath Wood.

Reaching the road, I was almost back at the car, and the mere appeared between the trees.

And on such a beautiful afternoon, it was no surprise that the ice cream van had turned up.

So I sat on a bench, and tried to get a decent picture of the resident great crested grebe! Without much success!

This is a really easy, flat walk, but don’t do it after rain, as the long grass in some fields becomes extremely wet.

It is however, lovely countryside, and a really pleasant stroll!

And Finally….

As if there hadn’t been enough excitement this week, tomorrow night sees the return to Manchester of Colorado’s finest, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. We’ll be seeing them for the third time, and the new(ish) album, The Future, is brilliant.

And if you like Motown, this song reminds you of why! This is “Love Don’t”